


The Perfect Gift

by Eternal Scribe (Shadowcat)



Category: Joan of Arcadia
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-24
Updated: 2012-09-24
Packaged: 2017-11-14 23:37:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/520693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat/pseuds/Eternal%20Scribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam wants to get the perfect gift for Joan and seeks out advice from Grace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Perfect Gift

Adam Rove had never had to do anything like this in his entire life and he wasn't sure he was really up to the challenge. He had always been content to stay on the sidelines, in the fringes, and never worried about being the center of attention.

However, there wasn't any way that he could avoid that this time. This time, he had no choice but to be the center of attention.

It was Christmas time and Adam was shopping for the perfect gift. This was harder than it sounded or than he thought that it would be. But it was for _her_ , and of course it definitely had to be perfect. It had to suit her and be something that she would like as much as he did her. He stared into the window of the latest store he had stopped at and sighed quietly.

"Why is this so hard to do?" He complained in a soft voice. "Giving gifts has never been this hard for me before."

"That's because you have never been this much of an idiot before," his blonde companion said with a snort. "Do you honestly think that she wants you to spend a lot of money on her, Rove? This is _Joan_ for crying out loud."

"She wouldn't tell me what she wanted me to get her for Christmas, Grace. She wouldn't give me any hints at all." Adam's eyes were filled with confusion as he turned to look at his best friend. "Since when would a girl not want you to buy them a Christmas present?"

Grace raised an eyebrow. "I've never once asked you for a Christmas present in all of the time that we've known each other, Rove."

"You're an exception," Adam allowed. "Your father is a Rabbi and you don't celebrate Christmas."

"True," she nodded. "But, you have gotten me gifts for other times with no problems. You have never missed my birthday."

"That would be messed up, Grace. You're my best friend."

"And how do you generally decide what to get me for my birthday, Rove?"

"I know what you like because I've known you forever." The tone of his voice said clearly that the answer should have been obvious to her.

"You know Joan pretty well, too," Grace pointed out. "And you two like each other a whole lot."

Adam sighed. "I want it to be perfect for her."

Grace laughed. "You jerk. Joan doesn't want you to buy things for her, Adam. She cares about you. She likes the things that you do." She shook her head and pinned him with a look. "You're an artist, Adam. You make things and create things that are so much better than what people can buy from a store." She shook her head, smirking for a moment. Then her face softened. "You want to give Girardi the perfect gift? Give her something from your heart. Create art for her. Something personal that only you can give her, Adam."

***

That conversation stayed with Adam for the rest of the day and on into the night. Grace didn't usually tell him untrue stuff, and she was one of Joan's closest friends. She spent more time with Joan than almost anyone -- except for him. He also knew that Joan wasn't like most of the other girls he had known from school over the years. That was one of the reasons that he had been searching so had to get her the perfect gift for Christmas.

The perfect gift.

For Joan.

He sat at his desk for what seemed like hours, thinking about Joan and the things that she liked -- thinking about the things that made her smile in that happy way of hers. He thought about how that smile he loved so much would spread to her eyes when she looked at him.

After a few minutes of thinking about her smile, Adam reached for one of his sketchbooks and a pencil. He could see a design in his head and he needed to get it down on paper so he could make sure that he got it all right for her. He erased a few lines and drew them again. He needed to make sure the design was perfectly clear -- not that he had ever worked from a design before. Usually, he just started putting things together and shaping them until they looked right to him.

But not this time.

Not when the gift was for her. This time, he wanted to make sure that everything was going to fit together perfectly. It was too important for it not to.

With the exception of the little cheerleader he made for Joan, Adam had never set out to create something for a specific person before. He usually just created and then that would be that. This was the first time he was trying to make specific art for a specific person on this type of scale.

When the sketch was finally completed, Adam looked at it for a long time.

It was _perfect_.

Starting to smile for the first time since he had begun searching for gifts, Adam grabbed his jacket and headed outside to where he always did his best work. Once outside and in his shed/work room, Adam flipped on the light and started pulling out the materials he was going to need for this.

***

When the knock came at the door on Christmas Eve, Joan was surprised to open the door and find Adam standing on the porch.

"Adam!" she said happily, stepping aside for him to come in. "This is a surprise." She smiled and stepped up to hug him. "Merry Christmas."

He hugged her back, smiling slightly. "Merry Christmas, Jane." He released her and looked into her face. "I have something for you."

She gave him a confused look. "You didn't have to get me anything, Adam."

"You got things for both Grace and me," he pointed out.

"Well, yes, I did," she said, nodding. "But I did that because I wanted to, not because I was expecting anything in return."

He nodded. "I know that." He took her hand in his. "I _wanted_ to give you something, too, Jane. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to."

He walked with her to the door and then outside. He smiled at her. "I want you to close your eyes for a minute."

She looked at him for a moment and then nodded, closing her eyes.

Making sure her eyes were closed, Adam smiled and put his arm around her, leading her into her back yard. Once he thought she was in the proper place, he let go of her. "You can open your eyes now, _Joan_."


End file.
